Marc J. Sievers, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, arrived as U.S. Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman on January 7, 2016. Prior to his appointment he was a diplomatic fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy from September 2014 to July 2015. Mr. Sievers is the first person to be appointed to this position, which is a collaborative program with the Department of State.